Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 24 An-Nur, Ayat 41-50

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهٗ مَنۡ فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَالطَّيۡرُ صٰٓفّٰتٍ​ؕ كُلٌّ قَدۡ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهٗ وَتَسۡبِيۡحَهٗ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلِيۡمٌۢ بِمَا يَفۡعَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿24:41﴾ وَلِلّٰهِ مُلۡكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ​ۚ وَاِلَى اللّٰهِ الۡمَصِيۡرُ‏  ﴿24:42﴾ اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ يُزۡجِىۡ سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيۡنَهٗ ثُمَّ يَجۡعَلُهٗ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الۡوَدۡقَ يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ خِلٰلِهٖ​ۚ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِنۡ جِبَالٍ فِيۡهَا مِنۡۢ بَرَدٍ فَيُـصِيۡبُ بِهٖ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ وَ يَصۡرِفُهٗ عَنۡ مَّنۡ يَّشَآءُ​ ؕ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرۡقِهٖ يَذۡهَبُ بِالۡاَبۡصَارِؕ‏  ﴿24:43﴾ يُقَلِّبُ اللّٰهُ الَّيۡلَ وَالنَّهَارَ​ ؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَعِبۡرَةً لِّاُولِى الۡاَبۡصَارِ‏ ﴿24:44﴾ وَاللّٰهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَآبَّةٍ مِّنۡ مَّآءٍ ​ۚفَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّمۡشِىۡ عَلٰى بَطۡنِهٖ​ۚ وَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّمۡشِىۡ عَلٰى رِجۡلَيۡنِ وَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّمۡشِىۡ عَلٰٓى اَرۡبَعٍ​ؕ يَخۡلُقُ اللّٰهُ مَا يَشَآءُ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿24:45﴾ لَـقَدۡ اَنۡزَلۡنَاۤ اٰيٰتٍ مُّبَيِّنٰتٍ​ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ يَهۡدِىۡ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿24:46﴾ وَيَقُوۡلُوۡنَ اٰمَنَّا بِاللّٰهِ وَبِالرَّسُوۡلِ وَاَطَعۡنَا ثُمَّ يَتَوَلّٰى فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ذٰلِكَ​ؕ وَمَاۤ اُولٰٓـئِكَ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏  ﴿24:47﴾ وَاِذَا دُعُوۡۤا اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَرَسُوۡلِهٖ لِيَحۡكُمَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ اِذَا فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ مُّعۡرِضُوۡنَ‏ ﴿24:48﴾ وَاِنۡ يَّكُنۡ لَّهُمُ الۡحَـقُّ يَاۡتُوۡۤا اِلَيۡهِ مُذۡعِنِيۡنَؕ‏ ﴿24:49﴾ اَفِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌ اَمِ ارۡتَابُوۡۤا اَمۡ يَخَافُوۡنَ اَنۡ يَّحِيۡفَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗ​ؕ بَلۡ اُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿24:50﴾

(24:41) Do you not see that all that is in the heavens and the earth, even the birds that go about spreading their wings in flight, extol His glory? Each knows the way of its prayer and of its extolling Allah's glory. Allah is well aware of whatever they do. (24:42) Allah's is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and to Him are all destined to return. (24:43) Do you not see74 that it is Allah Who gently drives the clouds, then He joins them together and then turns them into a thick mass and thereafter you see rain-drops fall down from its midst? And then He sends down hail from the heaven - thanks to the mountains75 - and causes it to smite whom He wills and averts it from whom He wills. The flash of His lightning almost takes away the sight. (24:44) It is Allah Who alternates the night and the day. Surely there is a lesson in it for those that have sight. (24:45) Allah has created every animal from water. Of them some move on their bellies, some move on two legs and some on four. Allah creates whatever He wills. Surely Allah has power over everything. (24:46) Verily We have sent down revelations that clearly explain the Truth. Allah guides whomsoever He wills to a Straight Way. (24:47) They say: "We believe in Allah and the Messenger, and we obey," but thereafter a faction of them turns away (from obedience). These indeed are not believers.76 (24:48) When they are called to Allah and His Messenger that he (that is, the Messenger) may judge (the disputes) among them,77 a faction of them turns away.78 (24:49) However if the right is on their side they come to him (professing) their submissiveness.79 (24:50) Do their hearts suffer from the disease (of hypocrisy)? Or have they fallen prey to doubts? Or do they fear that Allah and His Messenger will wrong them? Nay, the truth is that they themselves are wrong-doers.80

Notes

74. As has been explained above, Allah is the Light of the whole universe, but His Light can be perceived and comprehended by the righteous believers only. All other people grope about in the dark like the blind in spite of the all-pervading, all-embracing Light. Here a few of the countless signs which guide to the Light are being mentioned by way of example. If a person whose eyes of the heart are open, sees them, he can perceive Allah working everywhere around him at all times. But those who are blind of the heart, and can only see with the head’s eyes, can see Biology and Zoology and other sciences working in the world, but they fail to perceive and recognize Allah’s signs anywhere working in the world.

75. This may mean frozen clouds which have been called mountains in the heavens metaphorically. It may also mean the mountains of the earth which stand high in the heavens and whose snow-capped peaks cause condensation in the clouds which results in hailstorms.

76. That is, their turning away from obedience itself belies their claim that they are believers and their conduct clearly shows that their profession of faith and submission was absolutely false.

77. These words clearly state that the judgment of the Prophet is the judgment of Allah and the command of the Prophet is the command of Allah. Therefore, the invitation to obey the Prophet is an invitation to obey both Allah and His Prophet. Also see (Surah An-Nisa, Ayats 59-61, and the E.Ns thereof).

78. This does not only apply to the cases which came up before the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a decision in his lifetime, but this continues valid even today. Thus, a summon from the court of a judge in an Islamic government, who judges a case in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of Prophet (peace be upon him), is actually a summon from the court of Allah and His Prophet and the one who repudiates the judge indeed repudiates both Allah and His Prophet. This thing has been explained in a tradition related by Hasan Basri thus: Whosoever is summoned to appear before a judge from among the judges of the Muslims but fails to appear before him, he is a transgressor and forfeits his rights. (Al-Jassas, Ahkam-ul-Quran, Vol. III, p. 405). In other words, such a person not only renders himself punishable but also guilty and liable to be proceeded against.

79. This verse states that a person who willingly accepts only that part of the divine law which serves his advantage, but rejects that which goes against his interests and desires, and prefers the worldly laws instead, is not a believer but a hypocrite. His profession of faith is false for he does not in fact believe in Allah and His Prophet but in his own interests and desires. With this attitude even if he believes in and follows a portion of the divine law, his belief has no value whatever in the sight of Allah.

80. That is, there can be only three reasons for such a conduct. First, a person may not have believed at all but may only be posing as a Muslim in order to enjoy the benefits of belonging to the Muslim community. Secondly, he might have believed but may still be having doubts about the reality of the Prophethood, revelations, life-afterdeath, and even the existence of Allah Himself. Thirdly, he may be a believer but might at the same time be apprehending injustice from Allah and His Prophet and considering their commands disadvantageous to him personally in one way or the other. There can be no doubt that the people belonging to any of these categories are themselves unjust. A person who, having such doubts and suspicions, enters the Muslim community and enjoys undeserved benefits posing himself as a member thereof, is indeed a deceiver, cheater and forger. He is not only doing injustice to himself, practicing constant falsehood and developing the meanest traits of character, but he is being unjust to the Muslim people as well, who look upon him as one of themselves merely on the basis of his verbal profession of the faith and let him enjoy all sorts of social, cultural, political and moral relations with them as such.